Need something inedible and fall-flavored to chew on while you mourn the non-existence of pumpkin spice flavored condoms? There’s more than one pumpkin spice gum on the market. This Trident variety was spotted at Target, which is America’s Pumpkin Spice Central. A reader of The Impulsive Buy spotted it in the wild, One of their readers declares it to be acceptable: the flavor lasts 15-20 minutes if he chews two pieces. Assuming that what you want is for the flavor to last. Some people are into that kind of thing. [The Impulsive Buy]

As Peak Pumpkin Spice approaches, eventually, food manufacturers will run out of items that they can inject real or artificial pumpkin flavoring and spices into. When that happens, we’ll end up with ridiculous things like pumpkin spice flavored gum. …Oh. Look at that. Well, flavor wizards, if we’re going there, how about some pumpkin spice toothpaste? I don’t like gum, but I would definitely buy that. Maybe some dental floss, while you’re at it? Mouthwash? [The Impulsive Buy]

Why aren’t Americans as interested in chewing gum as we used to be? Is it that we don’t want to spend the money, we have better ways to freshen our breath, it’s simply falling out of favor as a habit, or some combination of these factors? Are there simply not as many people around who are in the process of quitting smoking as there used to be? [More]

Icebreakers gum may be a great way to “break the ice,” but you wouldn’t want to use them to help your dog freshen his breath. Many pet owners aren’t aware that the artificial sweetener inside it and many other products, Xylitol, can be acutely toxic to dogs if the canines eat it. KCBS has the tragic story of one corgi who suffered acute liver failure after he got into a bag of Icebreakers. [More]

Last August we told you how you could get ten bucks in an Eclipse gum class action settlement over how they claimed to kill germs, and reader Tom writes in to say he just got his Hamilton in the mail. Cash money in the bank! [More]

Eclipse gum says it kills germs. A false advertising class action lawsuit begs to differ. Wrigley denies any wrong-doing, but now you can get $10 if you bought any of their chewing gum after June 1 2008. [More]

Sometime soon Wrigley’s will start promoting its new Slim Pack packaging in select markets, and nationwide by 2009. It’s slimmer! It’s easier to carry! And it’s got 15 sticks instead of 17—for the same price! A Wrigley’s vice president told Brandweek that consumers wouldn’t care that they’re getting less product: “To them the value goes up because they’re getting a better tasting product in a better package.” Ha ha consumers sure are stupid, aren’t they, VP of Wrigley’s?

No commercial claim is so trivial that it can’t be tested and documented online, apparently, which is why Cheap Eats has performed a gum-chewing test for Stride gum, the brand that claims its flavor will last so long that gum sales will plummet and put the company out of business. (If that claim is true, we think there’s a shareholder lawsuit waiting to happen.) So how long does the flavor last? Somewhere around 30-45 minutes, depending on what you consider “flavor.”

For the first time ever, the American Dental Association is putting its seal on some Wrigley’s chewing gum products—they’ll now say that the ADA considers them products that are “clinically proven to help prevent cavities, reduce plaque acid and strengthen teeth.” The ADA and some health professionals say that this is a perfectly acceptable application of the seal, because a full study was carried out that proved the products work. The only problem is, the study was privately funded and the gum companies partially paid for them.